Chile

The Fuente Alemana (German Fountain) in Santiago

Written By: jeff

Posted On: November 9th, 2012

Any stroll in the Providencia neighborhood of Santiago, Chile will almost certainly take you to Parque Forestal. It runs along the Mapocho River which on most days has a foul odor. Starting at the Plaza Baquedano, you can take a leisurely walk to some of the museums in the city like Bellas Artes or the Contemporary Art Museum. On my first trip to Santiago, it was fall and the leaves were changing. I was in a fruitless search for a coffee shop in or around the park (I didn’t find one) when I came upon the Fuente Alemana (German Fountain). Sculpted by the German, Gustavo Eberlein, a renowned artist from Berlin, it seems to have been a gift from the resident German immigrant community in 1910. As emblematic as the statue is, I found remarkably little about its history online. So, just go see it on your trip to Santiago. And in the meantime, enjoy this week’s Suh-Weet Shot of it.